Cultural fit and personal motivation to work at a particular company were hot topics last week at our Employer Focus breakfast meeting. What was even more inspiring was visiting a student on Placement, and hearing him tell me how important it is to feel that you fit into the culture of a company, as well as the company wanting to hire you. The confidence to recognise and voice this is truly inspiring (after all, not all students seeking graduate roles will be in the fortunate position of choosing between offers) and what this tells me is how vital work experience is prior to graduating. Not only can students learn what they do and don't enjoy, which will in turn help them to choose the right graduate career (a placement year or summer internship can be described as a 'try before you buy' opportunity, for both parties) but they will also be viewed more favourably by employers, when  making their applications. 

This article clearly shows how important it is to use the application process as one of the main ways to road test a company and it's culture, to check that you'll be comfortable and enjoy working there, and ultimately that you'll want to give the role and company your all. The way a company interviews and hires can be indicative of what it's like to work there. Take the opportunity to research the company, meet as many people as you can during the interview process, and ask them what it's really like to work there, and what they enjoy (be tactful about this). And finally, take the opportunity to ask your interviewer(s) questions. Making the right choice is absolutely critical both to your personal career success, as well as to the success of the company.